Each Panther Valley School District taxpayer will have $216.74 shaved from his tax bill, thanks to gambling tax revenues.

"That's taken right off your bill," said Business Manager Kenneth R. Marx Jr.The board at a public meeting Thursday approved a property tax reduction allocation of $736,705. The money comes to the district through the state Department of Education under the Homestead Exclusion and Taxpayer Relief laws.The total number of approved homesteads in the district comes to 3,399 2,729 in Carbon County and 670 in Coaldale, Schuylkill County. There are no approved farmsteads in the district.The property tax reduction is calculated by dividing the funded allocation by the amount of approved homesteads. The property tax assessment exclusion is calculated by dividing the property tax reduction ($216.74) by the tax rate for each county (55.69 mills for Carbon and 52.26 for Schuylkill), which results in a $3,892 assessment exclusion for Carbon and a $4,147 assessment exclusion for Schuylkill.In other matters Thursday, the school board:*Agreed to pursue Water Wellness Inc. for payment of an outstanding bill.The company signed a $69,500 one-year contract with the district in Oct. 2011 to operate the district's swimming pool, about three months after the board agreed to close it due to budget constraints. The company, whose principles were Maria Zupko and Nicole Bailey of New Ringgold, opened the pool for therapeutic and recreational swimming in Jan. 2012.But by December 2012, Water Wellness was unable to pay the district, and the pool was closed.*Approved a two-year contract for confidential staff, beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2015;*Created the position of part-time psychologist, effective immediately at a stipend not to exceed $12,000. The part-time psychologist will help the district's full-time psychologist in testing and writing reports for students who have signed permissions for evaluations, keeping the district in compliance with Special Education laws.The board meets next at 7 p.m. June 13.